~Day 11~
"This barmy piece of shit." I cursed, throwing the piece of coral back into the ocean I had retrieved to try and use as a pumice bar. All it had managed to do was scratch the skin on my arms and make it bleed. Thankfully though, the cut on my forearm had already healed.
I was currently in the ocean, using the salt water to remove all the bacteria from my skin as best as I could. The only thing I couldn't use it on was my hair, which was a knotted mess and could've died for a swipe of a hair brush.
We had finally found a fresh water hole a few days ago hidden in the jungle, being thankful Payne wouldn't have to climb a tree every morning to retrieve us something to drink. And also I'd have something better to wash my hair in.
Over the past few days, I had taken it upon myself to try and figure out ways to stay clean. I had used oranges, palm leaves, coconut water, the coconut itself, plus multiple other things. Already smelling bad from the gift I was given from Mother Nature, I made it my mission to find anything that smelt remotely good and place it on or near me at all times.
I also tried to stay in the water as much as I could to temporarily relieve myself of the blood pouring out of me. I'd have to go in the water in my clothes in fear of Payne seeing me nude, but it was well worth it.
The cramps had thankfully subsided yesterday, but my ever-changing mood was still evident.
Hissing at the salt water getting into my fresh scrapes, I pulled myself up out of the water and saw Payne already standing there, watching me.
"What'd you do now Woods?" He asked, walking towards me in the water, making me grumble to myself. Why the hell did he have to monitor everything I did?
His beard had grown very bushy in the past few days. He had attempted to shave it with the pocket knife but decided it had better things to be used for.
Along with his beard becoming bushy, so were my pits and legs. It felt absolutely disgusting and I hated Payne being near me because of it.
"It doesn't matter, I don't need you to tend to my every move." I replied, walking past him through the knee deep water to get away but he grabbed my arm before I could.
"Why do you insist on being this way? I'm just trying to help." He asked, looking down at my reddening scrapes all over my arms.
"I was brought up as a boy Payne. Not a delicate little girl. If I need your help I'll ask." I answered sternly, removing my arm from his grasp with a small tug, and walking back up off the sand and to my designated spot by my tree.
I could hear Payne huff from behind me before mumbling things to himself. I brushed it off though, sitting down by my tree and placing my head up against it.
I sat there for a few moments with my eyes shut, taking deep breaths. The sound of the waves and the steady breeze were very calming until you remembered the situation you were in.
Suddenly, footsteps interrupted my serenity as I opened my eyes to see Payne stomping off into the trees towards the opposite side of the island. I rolled my eyes, laying my head back against the tree, returning to my peace and quiet.
It was nice to be in the shade. We realized we were going to burn our skin off and get sun poisoning if we didn't stay in the shade for most of the day. The only thing that resulted in that, was being pestered by bugs and having no choice but to sit in dirt.
My pants had already turned a brown color along with my now dirty white tank top. Payne had given up on wearing his shirt a few days ago, realizing it was doing nothing for him but getting in the way.
My boots were the only thing I had left that were still intact. Payne had used his laces for random things, but I had made sure I kept mine. The sun always made the sand very hot and it was like walking on satan without shoes at certain times of the day.
Soon enough I felt myself drifting off, something I had begun doing more often than not. Sitting here worrying all day about everyone and everything had really taken a toll on my energy level.
I just hoped the two extra fires and giant 'X' we made out of rocks would attract some planes.
•
"Woods...Woods! Come on get up!" I could hear Payne yell, making me gasp and jolt awake from my snooze. He was standing about three feet in front of me without a shirt, breathing heavily.
"Payne! You can't just scream like that! You scared me half-" I began scolding with my hands on my chest, breathing hard.
"We need to leave, now!" He yelled, a rumble of thunder rolling in immediately after making me jump and look to the sky.
"We're on a stranded island Payne, we can't just leave!" I reasoned knowing there wasn't a way off without braving the ocean on a tiny raft.
"No Woods! We're going to be blown away if we don't move away from the ocean now!" He yelled, quickly picking me up off the ground making me yelp, as a giant gust of wind rustled through the trees.
He pushed me hard up against his bare chest making me retract my hands from around his neck almost immediately. He was my squadron leader. It was so awkward to be this close to him.
"What about all of our stuff?!" I asked, looking back towards the shelter but Payne just kept walking in the wind.
"I already brought it to the cave, now stop fidgeting I can't walk as fast!" He answered as I looked out to the beach, seeing all the fires burnt out from the wind and the waves growing even larger.
"Well then put me down! I can walk you know." I grumbled seeing no reason as to why he had to carry me.
"Yes but you'll walk away and get killed before we even make it there. And I'm not letting you die before I tell you my reason." He explained making me roll my eyes and remember how much of an immature squadron leader he was.
"Well then maybe you should tell me sooner than later." I grunted as a giant crack of lightning blazed through the sky and the rain began immediately pouring down.
"Shit." Payne cursed as he picked up his gait and went towards the cliff I had found. He walked us around the opposite side before setting me down on my feet in front of it.
"Are you sure nothing lives in there?" I asked cautiously as he pushed me inside.
"Yes, now go to the back so we don't get soaked." He ordered as I ducked down, feeling my way along the walls to the back of the cave.
I stopped once I felt myself brush up against our items at my feet and sat down next to them. Payne followed in suit, sitting down across from me in the pitch black.
I looked back out towards the cave entrance seeing multiple flashes in the sky and trees whipping back and forth. I was actually happy Payne had found this place and hadn't left me out to die.
Startled with a flash of light so close, I looked over to see Payne had started a fire. I took a deep breath as I moved our items away from it, and leant up against the cave wall.
It was then that I realized I hadn't changed my leaf since the morning.
"Fuck." I grumbled, hitting my head up against the cave wall a few times cursing myself for forgetting.
"What now?" Payne asked, taking a stance similar to mine.
"I have to change my leaf." I said through gritted teeth realizing how this situation had become bad very quickly.
"What? You have to change your-oh." He said, realizing what I had meant.
"Well, there's one in your boot." He pointed towards it before retracting his hand and looking at me again.
"Oh well that's just bloody wonderful! Have a changing room in here as well aye? I swear sometimes you're dead from the neck up Payne." I scolded, shaking my head back and forth.
"Fine, I'll go stand out in the rain." He said nonchalantly, standing up from his spot and walking towards the cave entrance. I looked at him with an open mouth not believing he had just offered to do that. Now I felt bad.
"Wait!" I called as he almost stepped outside.
"Just-stand there and don't look." I ordered, him turning back around to look out at the downpour.
I quickly stood up, removing my pants and the leaf before putting it in the fire to burn. Hopefully fumes of blood don't kill anyone or smell bad. I then placed the new one in my pants before sitting back down and telling Payne he could come back.
He walked back over slowly, taking the same position as me, leaning his head up against the cave wall and shutting his eyes. We sat there for a few minutes in silence, listening to the rain pour outside and the constant cracks of thunder and lightning.
"How long do you think we'll have to stay in here?" I asked, opening my eyes to see the trees shaking even more in the growing wind.
"Probably till morning." He replied making me gasp.
"There's no way I'm sleeping in here next to you. I've gone four days without needing to! I'm not breaking my record now!" I exclaimed, as a roll of thunder came in making me jump.
"If you want to go sleep out in the rain that's fine with me, but I'm staying in here where it's dry whether you want to or not." He answered with his eyes still shut making me huff.
I still didn't want to be near him with the way I felt and looked, but I also would rather sleep on a cold hard ground than a wet soft one. I thought over my options, huffing when I realized I didn't have a choice.
I grabbed a banana first and ate that quickly before laying down into as comfortable of a position as I could. I pulled my arms up under my head before laying on my side facing the fire.
Payne was still in the same position, not even flinching at the loud cracks of lightning or rumbles of thunder unlike me, who jumped at every one of them. But I wasn't going to admit it startled me.
I eventually relaxed enough to close my eyes lightly, the heat of the fire making them droopy. I wasn't even tired, but it felt good to have them closed.
I laid there for about fifteen minutes longer just resting my eyes. I then heard Payne shuffling around a bit in whatever else he had brought in here, before sitting back where he was and huffing.
"I knew I shouldn't have been so hard on her. I should've just told her." He mumbled quietly to himself, thinking I was asleep as he laid down himself.
Question of the Chapter: So what do you feel about Payne finally feeling guilty?